Product Description

Fourier analysis is a ubiquitous tool that has found application to diverse areas of physics and engineering. This book deals with its applications in optics, and in particular with its applications to diffraction, imaging, optical data processing, holography and optical communications.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26311 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 491 pages

Alexander A. Sawchuk, University of Southern California
"...the standard teaching and reference text. This latest edition is an outstanding enhancement of this classic text."

Ravi Athale, DARPA
"...a source of insights and inspiration for launching new research directions. Goodman has set a gold standard for technical books."

Demetri Psaltis, California Institute of Technology
"Joe Goodman's wonderful book on Fourier Optics is like a good wine. It keeps getting better and better."

Customer Reviews

Amazing, a textbook that's easy to understand!
I took a class in Fourier Optics and found this text to be indispensable. It explains everything very clearly and concisely, which is a minor miracle for a text at this level. I didn't have any particular background in optics, and was able to pick this up and understand every word.

I do agree with the earlier poster that more 'physical' or graphical representations of concepts would have been useful as I tend to be a visual learner.

Simply the best
Only the best will do - and this is it.

Mandatory reading for anyone involved in optics. Goodman's books are treasure troves.

A very nice book , but nothing is ever perfect...
Overall I like the book for it is clear, the mathematics is lucid and has all the essentials in a comprehensive way. I have found it quite useful for research. In addition, for the most parts it is quite accurate.

Some criticisms though:
Contains everything from a more mathematical point of view. By that i mean, problems are usually not very physically motivated and some of the conclusions drawn are not very physical. that is you are given at the end of a discussion only an integral. It would have been nice if there were more discussions on the physics of Fourier Optics, for example pictures of actual experimental results or clear diagrams that show for example how does the diffraction pattern for a given input looks like. So getting an intuitive grasp of the subject at a pictorial level, where you can 'see' the results is a bit challenging to get out of this book. also very expensive.